Portland Area Programs

Oregon

Meet Kate: Our Portland-based Community Engagement Officer!

Kate Rood, our Portland-based Community Engagement Officer, connects small business owners, social-impact entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders to resources, supporting our growing beneficial banking community. Kate currently serves on three nonprofit boards – Write Around Portland, the Smith College Club of Oregon, and B Local PDX. She’s also very active with Portland State University’s School of Business, serving on the Graduate Alumni Advisory Council. Kate loves connecting with people about business as a force for good, empowering women in business, and her hobby of sending snail mail!

Looking for networking opportunities or space for your next meeting? Need help figuring out what technical and financial assistance may be available for your business or nonprofit? Contact Kate!

Event Sponsorship Program

Beneficial State Foundation funds and manages the event sponsorships of Beneficial State Bank. We are proud to support many incredible Oregon nonprofits through event sponsorship. To learn more, click here or contact Kate Rood.

Oregon Community Engagement Initiatives

Beneficial State Foundation develops and supports a variety of programs, services and events in Oregon. Our Community Engagement Officers build relationships in their respective communities by supporting bank clients, hosting workshops, attending community events and volunteering.

Here are some examples:

Move Your Money Workshops: Fossil Fuel Divestment

We are hosting workshops and presentations to help Oregon residents and progressive local businesses and nonprofits learn how to move their money to a bank that is aligned with their values.

You bring your group, and we’ll bring our team and all materials – all completely free.

Interested in holding a Move Your Money workshop in your community? Contact Kate for more information!

Addressing Portland’s Housing Crisis

Beneficial State believes that safe, clean, and comfortable housing is a human right. We proudly endorsed Portland’s first ballot measure for affordable housing and we are active supporters of the Welcome Home Coalition — a diverse and wide-reaching coalition of more than 140 organizations focused on affordable housing solutions.

If you’d like to endorse the Welcome Home Coalition or make a contribution, click here.

Championing the B Corp and Social Enterprise Business Community

Serving on local boards and advisory groups, Beneficial State is an active member of the thriving social enterprise community in Oregon. We recruit and support a growing number of B Corp certified companies in Oregon.

Memberships, Partners, and Community Resources

Beneficial State Foundation builds partnerships in the community through membership in local organizations and participation on local boards and committees. See our Resources and Partners page for a list.

Join the Beneficial Banking Movement

We believe that banks should nourish our communities, not extract from them. We work closely with values-aligned partners and financial institutions to spread this mission of beneficial banking in Oregon.

Beneficial State Fellowship Program

Beneficial State Foundation’s Summer Fellowship creates a pipeline for the next generation of social impact leaders. We design the Fellowship experience to be challenging, meaningful and in alignment with our strategic objective to cultivate leaders whose passion for economic justice and environmental sustainability match the vision and goals of Beneficial State. Depending on project availability, Fellows can be based out of our Portland office. View our open opportunities here and submit an application. Positions are typically posted in February; applications are accepted on a rolling basis until positions are filled.

Meet Our 2017 Oregon-Based Fellow:

Biography:Tegan began her career in NYC working on two feature-length social-issue documentaries that aired on PBS & Netflix. She then transplanted to Los Angeles, eventually working as a creative TV network executive for The Discovery Family Channel. Over five years at the network she shepherded over 200+ hours of original award-winning TV content on six branded series from concept to delivery, including the network’s keystone series. Tegan also launched a multi-media nonprofit called, Look What She Did! bringing astonishing women to light. She served on the Board of the Net Impact LA chapter as VP of Sustainability Partnerships & Initiatives and designed an experiential Art+Sustainability Festival for the community. Tegan earned her B.A. in film & media from Montana State University with a minor in International Business. She’s currently an MBA in Sustainable Systems candidate at Presidio Graduate School and a student leader of Kaizen.